Newtown's Flagpole Radio Cafe Show Is Back

May 17, 2013|By ERIK OFGANG, Special To The Courant, The Hartford Courant

After four successful seasons the fifth season of The Flagpole Radio Café, Newtown's homegrown vaudeville style music and comedy series, got off to a rocky start.

Last fall the season's opener was delayed by scheduling conflicts, the death of a close friend of the producers, and complications caused by Hurricane Sandy, but by December things were starting to calm down.

"We were finally ready to continue with the show in February," says Martin Blanco the show's co-producer. "I was literally writing the press release announcing our return when the tragic event unfolded in Sandy Hook."

The mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14 took the lives of 20 children and six educators and struck The Flagpole Radio Café community directly as cast members Francine and David Wheeler's 6-year-old son Ben was among the victims.

On Saturday, May 18, at 7 p.m. The Flagpole Radio Café will return to Edmond Town Hall in Newtown for the first show since the tragedy. Francine and David Wheeler will perform and the show will feature guest artist Christine Lavin, a folk singer-songwriter.

"The show demonstrates that Newtown is surviving this tragedy, as awful as this was, we will continue with our lives and will enjoy the things we used to participate in," says Blanco who has lived in Newtown for nine years with his wife and their two children. "We are looking forward to experiencing the joy of music and the joy of laughter both for ourselves and our audience."

The Flagpole Radio Café was created by Blanco, Jim Allyn, and Barbara Gaines in conjunction with the Newtown Cultural Arts Commission. Named for the distinctive flagpole in the center of Newtown, the show features music by Allyn and The Flagpole Radio Café Orchestra and radio style comedy sketches performed by the Flagpole Shakespeare Repertory Theatre. Each show also features a guest musician and past guest artists have included, Livingston Taylor, Tom Chapin, Roger Ball of the Average White Band, and Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary.

In February Yarrow reached out to Francine and David Wheeler and other performers with the Flagpole Radio Café to put together a performance called A Family Concert for Healing and Togetherness at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield. The concert caught the attention of Bill Moyers who interviewed the Wheelers and Yarrow and it is supposed to be broadcast on PBS later this year. It also inspired Blanco and his fellow Flagpole Radio Café performers to restart their series.

"After we were all together for this concert, we began to realize how much we missed the show and each other," Blanco says. He adds it means a lot to him personally to be working with the Wheelers again. "I hope it brings them comfort. I'm just so happy they are performing; that tells me that on some level they want to do this. For me, quite selfishly I might add, it gives me the opportunity to be frivolous with David on stage and in rehearsal. I miss that."

Saturday's show will mark the second time Lavin is serving as a guest artist for the show. Known for her humorous songs, Lavin has won many awards for her songwriting and was named one of the "TOP 100 Most Influential Artists" by Performing Songwriter Magazine.

Lavin says she's honored to be chosen as the guest artist for the return of the show.

"It's such a unique show, like 'Saturday Night Live,' but with a higher IQ," she says. "Grief will go on for a long, long time, but there's still a lot of good in the world and so many reasons to live. The Flagpole Radio show cast is doing a great thing by getting back onstage, especially when two of them suffered the ultimate hurt possible."

Before all her shows Lavin hosts a knitting circle with her fans and will be doing so before the start of Saturday's show. Though her songs are usually comedic they can carry a serious political message. However, she says during Saturday's set she will steer clear of politics.

"I won't be doing any of my sad or anti-gun violence political songs, Saturday night will be a joyous time for people who love The Flagpole Radio Café Show to come together, re-connect, and all move forward as best we can," she says.

For his part, Blanco notes that since the mass shootings Yarrow has worked tirelessly to bring about healing to Newtown and that Yarrow "firmly believes this tragedy is the tipping point that will bring about lasting change in America." Blanco adds, "I can't help but think, regardless of whatever else The Flagpole Radio Café means to us and our town, because of the work we've done in the past, its existence created distinct opportunities to bring comfort to a lot of people and in time, may contribute in a meaningful to way bring about a better society."

The Flagpole Radio Café will be performed on Saturday, May 18, at 7 p.m. at the Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main St., Newtown. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for students and senior citizens. Details: www.flagpoleproductions.org and 203-364.0898.